Under the Stars
by New Vamp Nut
Summary: One-shot. Just a sweet, little story about Michael and Selene.


Selene's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she rolled over in bed, a small frown creasing her brow when she found empty space beside her. She sat up and looked around for her hybrid, her frown deepening when she didn't see or smell him anywhere. She hurriedly got out of bed and grabbed a gun and her robe, throwing the latter on as she set off to find Michael.

Silent as a wraith, she checked the nursery and sighed heavily in relief when she found the baby safe and sound in her crib. With that accomplished, her mind returned to the subject of Michael, and she headed off down the hall again.

Eventually, her search led her to the spare room on the third floor. She could feel a draft coming from the French doors on the other side of the room, and as if confirming that fact, the heavy, black, velvet drapes were flapping ever so slightly from the breeze. She quickly checked her gun and crept over to the French doors. She was just about to fling the drapes back and shoot whoever was out on the balcony when Michael's scent drifted in from outside. She relaxed instantly, knowing he was alone, and set her gun on the table beside the doors.

Michael looked over his shoulder when he heard someone pull the doors open a little wider, and he smiled at Selene. She was standing frozen in the doorway, staring down at the freshly fallen snow at her feet. "It snowed last night," he told her, turning to face her fully. He calmly leaned back against the balcony railing and watched her as she searched for her shoes. "Check behind the curtains."

Selene flashed him a quick glare before doing as he suggested, shaking her head when she found her house shoes there. She easily slipped them on and headed outside to join Michael on the balcony. Her house shoes weren't much, but they would do for now. And besides, she hardly noticed the cold anyway because of her vampirism. "What are you doing out here, Michael?" she asked. Her voice had a slight mothering tone to it that almost made him laugh as she stopped beside him.

"I was looking at the stars," he answered, turning his back on her again. He leaned down on the railing and looked up at the dark, night sky again.

Selene watched him for a moment before stepping up to the railing beside him, leaning down on it as he did. "Why?" she wondered, giving him a confused look. "What is so great about the stars?"

"I'm not sure actually," he replied, shrugging slightly. "I've just always loved to look at them."

Selene snorted softly in amusement and shook her head. "Stars are nothing more than tiny lights in the sky," she scoffed. "There is nothing overly fascinating about them… It is an unexplainable fascination that almost all humans have."

"It's not unexplainable," Michael told her, smiling up at her. "We just like to look at things that we think are beautiful." He tilted his head back toward the sky when she looked down at him sharply, so she wouldn't see the mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Selene studied him for a moment before following his gaze to the crescent moon. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the object she was named for, and she resisted the urge to hiss angrily. She _hated_ the moon.

Before she had the chance to voice her distaste, Michael spoke up again. "I like the moon the best," he said, softly. "Especially when it's a crescent like that."

"I hate the moon," Selene replied, straightening and crossing her arms in irritation.

Michael glanced up at her and turned to face her, giving her a sympathetic smile when he saw the underlying sorrow in her eyes. "I think it's beautiful," he commented.

"Why?" she wondered, her tone sharp and biting. "Its light is not its own. It simply steals it from the sun and takes its place at night. There is nothing beautiful about it."

"Of course it's beautiful," Michael argued, straightening from the rail. He moved around behind Selene and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. He smiled as he felt her lean into him, and he kissed her hair lightly, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It reminds me a lot of someone I know."

Selene froze and glanced at him, getting a good idea who he was referring to by the look in his eyes. She decided to play along for him though, a little curious about why he'd said that. "And who might that be?" she asked, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto her face.

"You," he answered, simply.

"Why me?" she wondered, sounding hurt and offended.

"You're beautiful, just like the moon," he replied. He lifted his chin from her shoulder and rested his cheek against the side of her head, breathing in the scent of vanilla in her hair. "You've got the same pale face surrounded by darkness. You have your own light and beauty that is just beginning to show through the darkness that came with your vampirism. You're just starting to show who you really are, just like the crescent moon is just starting to show itself… And you _were_ named for the moon."

"What difference does _that _make?" she asked, confused and irritated. His explanation had made little sense to her. "My sister was named for the sun, but she preferred the night and the moon. I was named for the moon, and I preferred the sun and the day. A name makes no difference in a person's life."

Michael remained silent for a moment, contemplating what she'd said, before tightening his hold on her a little. She'd never told him that before. "You miss it, don't you?"

"Miss what?" She was thoroughly annoyed now, and his possessiveness was not helping.

"The sun… You miss it."

Selene froze again but didn't look at him this time. Instead, she looked up at the moon. "It's hard to not miss it," she said, her voice soft and unsure now. "Think about it. If you had something your entire life, and then, one night, it is simply taken away from you for no reason, you would miss it too. Though, I don't think 'miss' is quite the word for how I feel about the sun. I loved the sun, and I long to feel its warmth again, but I know that I cannot. I have grown used to the night, to never seeing the sun. It no longer bothers me as much as it did when I was first turned. I have learned to live without it, but I wish that I hadn't… I can't really describe the feeling."

Michael smiled and kissed the side of her head again before resting his chin on her shoulder once more. "I think I know what you mean," he whispered into her ear. "I can't say that I know how you feel, because I don't, but I can say that I understand."

Selene turned her head a little to look at him and watched him closely as he kissed her lips gently.

"I love you," he told her, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. "I'll always be here for you when you need me, Selene."

"I know," she replied, closing her eyes and nodding slightly.

Michael smiled at her and kissed her lightly again, his arms unconsciously tightening around her waist.

Selene turned around in his arms, never once breaking the kiss, and slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Just as the kiss began to get more heated, Selene pulled away and looked over Michael's shoulder into the house. She placed her fingers on his lips when he leaned forward to kiss her again and sighed heavily. She gave him an apologetic look before stepping out of his grasp and heading for the house.

Michael was about to ask what she was doing when he heard it too. The baby was awake. He sighed disappointedly and followed Selene inside, kicking his shoes off beside hers. He tagged along behind her as she headed down to the second floor where the nursery was. He stopped in the doorway and watched her as she walked calmly over to the crib near the window.

Selene reached the crib and looked over the side at the screaming baby, shaking her head. She reached in to the crib and disentangled the soft, pink blankets from her child's legs. With that accomplished, she scooped the baby girl up into her arms and walked over to the rocking chair in the corner, whispering to her until she stopped crying.

Michael watched her sit down in the rocker and settle their daughter in her lap before glancing over at the window. With a small smile, he walked over to it and pulled the drapes open, letting in the light of the moon. His smile widened as he remembered his conversation with Selene on the balcony, and he silently thanked whoever was listening for giving her to him before going back to her side to watch her feed the baby.


End file.
